Less than one third of Americans meet the new physical fitness guidelines issued on Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services, USA Today reported.
Among teenagers the rate is even worse, as only one in five meet the guidelines, even though officials said they could be easily achieved by most.
The guidelines say adults should have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and two sessions of muscle-strengthening activity a week, while children between the ages of 6-17 should have at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per day and three sessions of muscle-strengthening a week.
Moderate-intensity activity includes walking briskly, riding a bike on level ground with few hills and playing doubles tennis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while muscle-strengthening activity includes lifting weights, yoga and "heavy gardening," such as shoveling.
Cardiologist William Kraus, a Duke University medical school professor who served on the advisory panel for the guidelines, said parking farther from entrances and taking the stairs also count as exercise.
The guidelines, which emphasize decreasing sitting time for adults, say the failure to meet these levels leads to about $117 billion in annual health care costs and 10 percent of all premature death.
The guidelines encourage schools and colleges to offer physical education, after-school sports, public access to facilities after school and expanded intramural sports, but Reebok's director of social responsibility Kathleen Tullie said the lack of "actionable or accountability standards" reduce the impact the guidelines can have.
"There is no mechanism in place requiring kids to move during school and holding school’s accountable," Tullie bemoaned. "We still prioritize the core academic subjects over the health and wellness of our children. This has to change."
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